Wren is one of “the gifted”—a college sophomore with the power to compel others’ feelings and desires. He uses his power as a game of sexual consent until Cameron, a naïve freshman, enters his life. As Cameron begins to understand his sexuality and gain confidence under Wren’s tutelage, Wren grows to recognize new and unexpected things about himself. Can their game become a relationship as the power shifts from teacher to student?

About the author:Jude Sierra first began writing poetry as a child in her home country of Brazil. Still a student of the form, she has expanded her repertoire with her first novel, Hush.She began writing long-form fiction by tackling her first National Novel Writing Month project in 2007, and in 2011 began writing in online fan communities, where her stories have thousands of readers.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?I could not be more of a pantser! My characters tend to take over my stories and tell me what to do with a total disregard for what I might have nebulously wanted. I kind of love that, even if it can be chaotic and occasionally stressful. I love challenges and life as a pantser isn’t without them.Do you have an image in your mind of your characters before you start? Do you use photos or character interviews? How do you bring them to life?I have to build images before I start. This is a reason I love Pinterest—because I have a general idea of features, and then I get to look at pictures of men until I hit on an approximation. Sometimes a character will be a hodgepodge of characteristics from different pictures. For Cam and Wren though, I have very clear images and pictures of them. I need to be able to see what they look like, it helps me picture them in each scene. I don’t do character interviews, because these things are revealed to me in the process. A great example of this is Cam’s twin, Peyton. I had no idea he had a twin until I was about a third of the way into writing it, but she is so critical to his story, I couldn’t have done without her.Do you find the sex scenes easy or hard to write?Fun! One of my favorite things about writing sex scenes is how fantastic they are for character development. Sex as a way to get to know characters, for them to get to know each other, intimacy, connection, vulnerability, desire -- so many things -- is so gratifying. Often, I have to plot build so much mentally to built to the sex, that by the time I get to the sex I’ve been anticipating it so much it pours out!How much happens in your brain before you know you have a story? Do you have to envision an entire plot or just a few ideas?A lot happens in my brain. Stories start with tiny seeds—a fleeting notion of feeling—and when that seed is compelling enough, my brain starts to pick it apart and build around it. A lot of story writing for me is preceded by getting lost in asking myself countless questions—why did they do that, how did they get there, what kind of character traits would someone have to make that feasible—so many questions. I sit with ideas for a while. And scenes come to me, slowly -- out of order often—and then I build the story between those, trying to make the connection between them work. It’s a lot of problem solving and musing.What are you working on next?I am working on a wonderful story about childhood friends who grow up in the Cape together. Their friendship is complicated and beautiful but also has an element of codependence – one has a lot of problems, and the other is often the only one holding him together. A life changing event makes them realize that their friendship is holding them back and that they have to learn to grow as independent men in order to really become actualized people. A chance meeting later in their lives brings them together, and they have to sift through memories and ghosts to try to work themselves back together.

Excerpt:Wren looks… different. His eyes are wide in what seems almost like surprise. His lips, darker than Cam’s ever seen them, tremble. Cam doesn’t need any of Wren’s abilities to catch that Wren is overwhelmed. The only thing Cam knows how to offer is what he himself would want.“Kiss me?” he asks.Beautifully, Wren doesn’t resist. His clothes are rough against Cam’s skin all those zippers are so cold where Cam radiates heat. When Wren drapes himself on top of Cam, his body is heavier than Cam had imagined. Wren kisses Cam softly, seeking something, and Cam wants to believe it’s from a feeling of closeness, something sweet like the gratitude he feels right now. He cannot believe he just did that—that he let Wren do that. Hulled and shaking, Cam lets his hands wander because even after that perfect storm of pleasure, there is an itch under his skin for more.Sales Links:http://www.amazon.com/Hush-Jude-Sierra/dp/1941530273/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426024550&sr=1-1&keywords=hush+jude+sierra